As a rolling bearing configured to support, in a freely rotatable manner, a gear shaft of a gear reducer, for example, in transmissions and differentials of automobiles or other vehicles, there have been widely used tapered roller bearings capable of supporting a radial load and an axial load.
In the gear reducers of this type, when high torque is input, the gear shaft may be twisted. As a result, there may occur stick-slip (slippage) between an end surface of an inner ring and an end surface of a flange of the gear shaft, which comes into contact with the end surface of the inner ring. In addition, the occurrence of the stick-slip may lead to abrasion of the end surface of the inner ring and the end surface of the flange of the gear shaft along with abnormal noise, thereby shortening a life of the gear reducer is shortened.
Therefore, as described, for example, in Patent Literature 1, a washer is mounted to the end surface of the inner ring such that the washer is interposed between the end surface of the inner ring and the end surface of the flange of the gear shaft. In this way, the abrasion between the end surfaces is suppressed.
Specifically, in Patent Literature 1, the washer includes a washer body to be held in contact with the end surface of the inner ring, and an extension portion (claw portion) extended from the washer body along an outer peripheral surface of the inner ring. The extension portion includes engaging projection portions. By engaging those engaging projection portions with an engaging recessed portion formed in the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring, the washer is mounted to the inner ring. A clearance is secured between the extension portion of the washer and the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring. With this configuration, a dimensional tolerance of the washer may be relaxed, and mounting work of the washer to the inner ring may be facilitated. As a result, there is an advantage in that manufacturing cost may be significantly reduced in comparison with that in a case of mounting the washer to the inner ring through press-fitting.